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Mongolian
coal's long road to market
The non-stop parade of 40-ton trucks carrying coal at concessional rates across
the Gobi desert to feed China's insatiable demand is at odds with Mongolia's
desire to reap a bonanza of mineral wealth for its citizens. But someone has to
pay to get it out of the ground, and as political gridlock and a culture of
stubborn resource nationalism block the road to capital and other markets,
Mongolia looks set to continue hemorrhaging cheap coal across the border. - Peter
Lee (May 24, '12)
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Disaster politics in
Thailand
Rivalry between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government and the Royal
Thai Army over flood relief looks set to resurface should Thailand again suffer
the devastating floods it experienced last year. The army, highly critical of
civilian errors such as Bangkok's refusal of foreign aid and choice of
operations center, has highlighted underlying tensions between the government
and the top brass. - Steve Sciacchitano and John Cole
(May 24, '12)
 THE
ROVING EYE
How Osama re-elects Obama
The release of hundreds of pages of government documents reveal that Kathryn Hurt
Locker Bigelow was given unprecedented access to top-level sources for
the movie she is making on the SEAL raid in Pakistan that led to the killing of
Osama bin Laden. Essentially, this will be a Hollywood 90-minute multi-million
dollar campaign commercial selling President Barack Obama as a macho
commander-in-chief. - Pepe Escobar (May 24,
'12)
Fearful Iran hawks flap harder
United States Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham and
independent Democrat Joseph Lieberman have escalated their campaign against any
compromise agreement in ongoing international negotiations over Iran's nuclear
program. The "Three Amigos" are spearheading the neo-conservative blitz amid
renewed optimism of progress during the talks in Baghdad.
- Jim Lobe (May 24, '12)
A day in the sun for Arab
democracy
The first round of the Egyptian presidential elections is unlikely to produce a
clear winner, meaning a run-off next month between the top two candidates.
Mohammad Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood is expected to ease into the next
round; who will join him will go down to the wire, leaving room for plenty of
surprises.
- Sami Moubayed (May 24, '12)
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Pakistan compounds US tensions
Attempts to block a huge United States Embassy extension in Islamabad on
constitutional grounds will further heat tensions over Pakistan's refusal to
reopen Afghan supply routes and the jailing of the man who helped the US locate
Osama bin Laden. Development authorities will likely now act on Inter-Services
Intelligence agency complaints that a seven-storey US "super embassy" would
overlook key government buildings. - Amir Mir
(May 24, '12)
Rogue insurgent group enters
Afghan fray
Previously marginal militant outfit the Mullah Dadullah Front has asserted
itself as the Afghan government seeks peace with insurgents in preparation for
the 2014 withdrawal of international forces. Focused on frustrating
rapprochement through targeted assassinations and suicide attacks, the hardline
offshoot is named after a brutal, deceased Taliban leader who embraced
al-Qaeda's extremist tactics.
- Frud Bezhan (May 24, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Okinawa remains an intractable thorn
The latest plan to quell opposition to America's military presence on Okinawa
is unlikely to reduce an enduring source of tension in US-Japanese relations.
It fails to address serious problems rooted in the complex economic and
security relationship. As long as there is a US military presence on Okinawa
and Tokyo buys local acquiescence, the objections will continue. - Stacie L
Pettyjohn and Alan J Vick (May 24,
'12)
 To submit to
Speaking Freely click
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Syria and Lebanon stare into the
abyss
Fears are growing that sectarian clashes in Lebanon's major cities signal the
country is being drawn into Syria's deadly uprising, as violence in Syria
reaches new heights. As the Sunni Muslim community in Lebanon increasingly
perceives the government to be acting in the interests of Damascus, there is a
danger that geographical borders between the countries could effectively be
erased, leading to fragmentation along sectarian lines.
- Victor Kotsev (May 23, '12)
Pakistan hoist by its own petard
An apparent u-turn on reopening North Atlantic Treaty Organization supply lines
to Afghanistan led to embarrassing snubs for Pakistan's President Asif Ali
Zardari at NATO's Chicago summit. It seems Zardari backtracked in cold
realization that Islamabad's leadership has placed itself between a furious
Pakistani public and the country's principal source of weapons and funding. - Karamatullah
K Ghori (May 23, '12)
 SINOGRAPH
We're all zombies in the
communism of the mall
About 400 million unborn Chinese have been sacrificed on the altar of economic
development since 1980. They, like all of us, are zombies in the unnatural
quest for an eternal life lived in shopping malls. Closeness to death, from
Tiananmen to the SARS epidemic and beyond, is breeding an indomitable vitality
in China, whereas the West needs new ideas and old religions to give sense to
life. - Francesco Sisci (May 23, '12)
 Spend,
spend, spend
War American-style, already long detached from the lives of most Americans, is
growing more so: ever more secret, presidential, and beyond the control of, or
accountability to, citizens or congress. In only one way is this not true:
taxpayers still fork over the massive sums that make the US's perpetual state
of war and war state possible. - Chris Hellman and Mattea Kramer
(May 23, '12)
Iraqi Kurdistan plans oil
pipeline to Turkey
The Kurdistan government in northern Iraq has announced a plan to build an oil
pipeline to Turkey, a move that could cause shifts in the geo-economics of
greater Southwest Asia. The Basra governate in southern Iraq may also now
assert greater authority over deals in its own region. - Robert M Cutler
(May 23, '12)
Singapore, Hong Kong unite against
'locusts'
A fatal car smash after a speeding Ferrari jumped a red light in Singapore has
brought resentment against mainland Chinese into sharp focus, igniting a tirade
of abuse against "locusts" flooding the job and property markets. Inflamed
opinion spread with rumors that the "financial investor" dead at the wheel of
the limited edition sports car was the brother of a Chongqing mafia boss and
had been accused of money laundering in Hong Kong. - Augustine Tan
(May 22, '12)
INTERVIEW
The 'limitless horizon" of
capitalism
Costanzo Preve, born of Italian parents and with an Armenian grandmother, never
had it easy; he chose the path of uncompromising philosophy, and he begun to
recognize the historical failure of communism very early. He is also convinced
that globalization has produced a storm, an economic tsunami that has created a
series of common problems that in the past centuries did not exist. - Claudio
Gallo (May 22, '12)
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 SPENGLER
What if Facebook is
really
worth $100 billion?
Facebook and its social media imitators diminish us by substituting
unpredictable human interaction with a pre-arranged display window whose
purpose is to block our gaze from the real person behind it. Sadly, the system
- and its raison d'etre to advertise one's conformity to commercial culture
while preserving the illusion of individuality - is worth a great deal of
money. And even sadder, it is unlikely to fail. (May
21, '12)
<IT WORLD>
Facebook floats
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is now officially worth close to US$20 billion
after successfully bringing off the initial public offering for his young
social network site. Fans keen to grab a piece of the company may have to pay
50% more than the initial price when the shares start trading Friday.
(May 18, '12)
Martin J Young surveys the week's developments in computing, science,
gaming and gizmos.
BOOK REVIEW
Cherry-picking from
China's
success
What the US Can Learn from China by Ann Lee
This book forces the reader to confront China's growth in the midst of
America's decline, drawing attention to the reasons US politics became too
self-serving, too short-sighted and too partisan. The author doesn't argue the
Chinese approach is flawless, but she does hold up China's single-minded
fixation on economic growth and a leadership process based on experience as
examples US policymakers must consider. - Benjamin Shobert
(May 18, '12)
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Riddle
of the sands
 Oil
and the Middle East are inextricably linked - along with Islam, and the
perception of corruption, war, sanctions and dictatorship. An Asia Times Online
special series investigates how energy resources made the Persian Gulf region
what it is today - the world's prime fuel supplier, with often fabulously rich
rulers overseeing deeply troubled societies.
Korea in record Uzbek deal
South Korea is increasing its penetration of Central Asia, with an agreement to
build a gas and chemical complex in Uzbekistan, the largest such project in the
country. The US$2.5 billion funding announcement comes as the Uzbek government
faces plunging foreign direct investment. - Robert M Cutler
Tajikistan, Pakistan ease
closer
with power-grid pact
Financing agreements have been signed for building electrical transmission
lines between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan, only one
element in improved relations between the Tajik and Pakistani governments. - Mark
Vinson
China tightens Brazil
embrace
China's deepening involvement in Brazil's energy industry helps the Asian giant
secure oil supplies while pumping money into the Brazilian economy. The
downside is a possible undermining of the South American country's long-term
self-sufficiency. - Fabiana Frayssinet
CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
The jig is up
One remarkable feature of JPMorgan Chase's recent US$3 billion-plus loss is
boss Jamie Dimon's lack of familiarity with the details in spite of prior
publicity on the bank's precarious position. Yet his incredible complacency
merely mirrors that of the wider financial world.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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Obama
at crossroads on Iran
United States President Barack Obama literally finds himself at a crossroads on
Iran where, as Robert Frost wrote, two roads diverge in a yellow wood. Of
course, he can't travel both and "be one traveller" ... - M K Bhadrakumar
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[Re Pakistan hoist
by its own petard, May 24, 2012] The real issue is not that "the
Pakistani leadership has painted itself into a helpless and unenviable
situation" but that the United States is immensely embarrassed Pakistan managed
to extract an invitation to the Chicago summit without re-opening the supply
route.
Waqar Ahmed Pasha
Multan, Pakistan
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